Tuesday, April 17, 2012

cinnamon roll revelations

I've always been intimidated by cinnamon rolls. I thought I had to have the perfect recipe, and without it, I was lost. It was really quite dramatic, and so, sadly, I hardly ever made them. Think of the cinnamon rolls I have been missing all this time! But last week I had a revelation: cinnamon rolls aren't complicated. All you need is a good solid roll recipe + lots and lots of butter, sugar, and cinnamon.

I like to use Virginia Light Rolls. They are not too sweet, and are just the right texture to hold up to the gooey-ness inside. You can find the recipe down below.

For the Cinnamon Rolls:
Make your favorite roll dough. Once it is ready, divide the dough in half and roll it into two
thin rectangles. Onto each rectangle, pour about 1/4 cup melted butter, about 1/2 cup sugar, and enough cinnamon to make the
rectangle evenly brown. Then roll them up and cut into 1 inch slices.
Place them in a pan (I use two 9 inch cake rounds), cover, and either let them
rise for 45 minutes more, or stick them in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, let them rest on the counter while you heat the oven to
375 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they are slightly golden on
top. Then slather them with icing.

Don't worry too much about having exact butter, sugar, and cinnamon amounts. Just keep drizzling and sprinkling until you think you've gone too far.

Place all ingredients into your bread machine and use the dough setting. When dough is complete, shape and let rise again for 45 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. (If you're not turning these into cinnamon rolls, brush the tops with melted butter before baking.)

it is kind of scaring me how similar our thoughts are. rolls? i can make. but cinnamon rolls have always scared me. and they have been on my brain for a week now. thanks for the motivation (or no thanks? considering my tight pant situation)

hi, i'm stephanie

i am a wife, a mother, a homemaker, a mormon, a collector of white cake plates, a seamstress, and a want-to-be runner. i live in arizona, where the sun always shines, and the winters are a dream. i blog about my life at home. it's a good life, and i am happy.